Fairy Lights
by winter s. jameson
Summary: Just a quiet spring night for Phineas and Isabella while they're in college. Hints of Phineas/Isabella UST


_This little snippet (as compared to most of my work) came about thanks to a prompt from the Comment Fic community on Live Journal: any, any, fairy lights. My muse read this and ran for the hills with it, leaving me awake at far too early in the morning finishing and posting it. Let's hope I can stay awake later..._  
><em>Anyway, this one is from the same timeline as A Day in the Life. I'm enjoying playing in that one, and just may end up writing out how I see things working out for everybody. Be warned, I love me some happy endings (or at least hopeful ones) and I am a romantic at heart. Just saying.<em>

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><p>"I thought I might find you up here."<p>

Phineas Flynn was lying on the roof of his apartment building staring up at the clear night sky, his hands beneath his head cushioning it. He shifted his eyes to the side and looked at his new companion, Isabella Garcia-Shapiro, and smiled. "Just wanted to unwind. I had three tests today."

Isabella returned the expression then walked over to her friend and sat beside him, pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. "Were they really that bad?"

Phineas shrugged and let his gaze return to the sky. "Not exactly. It's more that there were so many in one day. I spent the last two days studying, and even some time in between classes."

"You know, I bet you didn't actually have to study that hard," Isabella commented.

"I wanted to be sure. My professors like to throw in little surprises to make sure everyone's read all the assignments."

Isabella's smile merely widened and she shook her head. Phineas was a genius, but it was refreshing to see how much he didn't take it for granted. "So how do you think you did?"

Phineas shrugged again. "They weren't a problem; I'm sure I did fine." He gestured at the twinkles of light above. "Isn't it great that the clouds haven't come in yet? We would have missed this spectacular view."

"It's wonderful," she agreed, then hesitated. "So where's Ferb, anyway? He'd be just as interested in taking this in."

"He started a night class, one of those half-semester things. You know, three hours one night a week? It was the best way to squeeze in the last of his gen eds."

"I've been trying to avoid those, but at least he doesn't have to worry about having to take an extra semester to get everything in."

Phineas nodded. "That's exactly what I said when he told me about the class. He's still not happy about it, but I think that has more to do with the fact that it's on Friday nights. And he's suspicious that it's going to be taught by a grad assistant."

Isabella's expression became one of distaste. "Oh, wow, I don't blame him if that ends up being the case. The two classes I've had that were taught by grad students were the worst ones I've taken. The only reason I didn't retake them with professors I knew would be teaching the classes personally is because they were math classes." She smirked. "But don't tell Baljeet that."

Phineas laughed. "I won't. You'd never hear the end of it."

Isabella sighed and let her head fall back, finally fully taking the view above. The two friends were quiet for a long yet comfortable stretch of time, until the young woman's soft voice murmured, "I think we're not alone any more."

"What?" Phineas asked just as quietly. It was as though neither one of them wanted to totally break the spell they seemed to be under.

"Fireflies. There are fireflies flickering among the stars." She giggled. "Well, that's what it looks like at any rate."

Phineas took in the closer, blinking lights. "It does," he agreed. "I suppose we have the rooftop gardens to thank for our tiny visitors."

Isabella nodded, although her companion never saw the gesture. "I'll be sure to send a note to the manager."

There was a small snicker from the horizontal redhead. "Hey, let me know when. I'll sign it, too."

"It's like we're surrounded by fairies," Isabella said wistfully. "Do you think they'll take us away to their enchanted land?"

"If they do, I hope they'll let us come back before Sunday. I have to finish a paper for my history class," Phineas said practically.

"Well, I have one for my English class, but I was hoping to not have to think about it until at least tomorrow," Isabella retorted a touch sourly, sparing a quick, narrow glance down at the young man next to her.

"Sorry, Isabella," Phineas said contritely, turning his head to her and giving her a small smile. "I didn't mean to go there."

Isabella blew out a quick gust of air and let her minor irritation go. It wasn't worth ruining the wonderful atmosphere they were still surrounded by. "Don't worry about it, Phineas. Already forgotten."

Phineas' smile widened and he rolled his head back to center, eyes once again lost in the velvet expanse above them. "You know, I'm pretty sure I read that time moves differently in the fairy realm than it does here. Maybe that means we could have ourselves quite a little adventure and still be back in time to worry about mundane things like essays and research papers."

"That could be fun," Isabella replied, smiling herself as she watched a pair of fireflies dance in the starlight. "I mean, just imagine walking around in a land where we'd constantly be surrounded by the delightful flickering glow of fairy lights, just like we are now. It would be a world of pure beauty."

"It would," Phineas agreed, then gave a short laugh. "You know, fairy lights are what Dad calls Christmas lights, at least half the time. The same goes for Grandma and Grandpa Fletcher."

Isabella considered it. "I can see that, especially from a little bit of a distance." She giggled. "Now that's all I'm going to be able to see this Christmas, a whole fairy village taking up residence in the Danville Christmas tree in the middle of the park."

Phineas laughed again, also able to see the image. "Let's hope they don't pull too many pranks."

"I'm going to hope they act just like the ones that are with us right now," the young woman said, her voice once again becoming soft and a touch wistful. "Quiet yet playful, just happy to be enjoying a wonderful evening together."

"Like us," Phineas said simply, his own tone matching hers.

"Yeah, like us."

Another comfortable silence descended on the pair while the night's lights continued to enchant and entrance them. A light breeze picked up and pulled at their hair and clothing, but it wasn't enough to draw either of them out of their reverie. Not even the occasional sound of traffic from six stories below could do that.

A while later, Isabella sighed and looked down at her friend. She smiled at the half-lidded eyes and contemplative expression. "It's too bad we can't take this all with us when we go back inside," she mused.

"Oh, we can take more than you think," Phineas said, turning his head slightly to meet her gaze. "Maybe not the whole visual scene, exactly, but this feeling of gentle tranquility, of peaceful contemplation, total companionship… we can keep that inside us and take it wherever we go." He smiled. "Of course, I think you get to walk away with even more."

"What's that?"

Phineas' smile widened. "Your eyes. It's like you've captured two fairy lights of your very own in the depths of your eyes. What a precious gift." He held her gaze for a moment longer, then let his head roll back to center and looked up at the sky once again.

For her part, Isabella gaped at the young man she'd fallen in love with so many years ago and felt a spark of hope for the future flare up in her chest. Suddenly the decision to step back and let Phineas figure things out in his own time and with no more pressure from her seemed like the best one she'd ever made in her life. She blushed furiously and rested her chin on her knees, giving them an extra joyful squeeze.

It was already a beautiful night. But the fairy lights made it simply magical.


End file.
